System for the supply of current demands.



PAT ENTED' MAR. 12, 1907. F. W. SPRINGER. SYSTEM FOR THE SUPPLY OF CURRENT DEMANDS.

APPLICATION rum) sny 17, 1 906.

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PATENTED MAR. 12, 1907.

P. W. SPRINGER. SYSTEM FOR THE SUPPLY OF GU RRENT DEMANDS. 17,1906.

APPLIOATION IILED SEPT.

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' J-Jm verem M a .m m w h 3 a tion with launches rind other conveyances FRANK W. SPRINGER-,0? MillllEAlPOLlS, MINNESQTA.

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Specification of Letters Patent. liatented March. 152, 1907.

Application filed September 17,1906. Serlsl No 335.032.

To u/[fi M/LOHZ/ 171. mu 1/ concern: l Be it known thst From-2r W. Srniucnn, citizen of the United States, residing at nneap lis, in the county or; licnnepin and "nesotc, have invented certain l improvements in Systems ref Current Demands; and i do hereby declare the following to be a full,

it is of course a well-known fact that 'priniary cells under servicequite rapidly deteriorate and become 1 oo weal; to produce the reqiurcd spsrloproducingcurrent. This deterioration is known to be due largely to p0 the common dry cell by the collection of hydrogen on the cathode or conducting-elecclear, and exact description of the invention, trodc oi the cell. This free hydrogen in a sucl: i til. ensble others skilled 1n the art to new dry cell is tel en oil from the electrode Wl c anpertsins to make and use the same. with considerable rapidity by chemical cornention relates, broadly, to the iniproveroent oi? systems for the supply of current do: in which primary cells or batto. J are uployed, and has for its especial ob ect to, nprore ignition systems for explosrvecugrnes.

in its bread or generic chase the invention l not only to ignition systems for use connection with explosive-engines or for other ignition purposes, but also'relates to other epparatus, such as lighting uppliances. For etlrcinple, it rosy be employed in connecbination with the depolarizing agents, in which the cathode is usually placed. There is always, however, even in case of a new cell, considerable loss in power of the cell due to products of electrolysis of the discharging current and to the increased resistance due to the )resence of free gas, as hydrogen, on the can ode. The quantity of hydrogen deposited yaries directly with the quantity of current discharged, and in the s ecial case citcd for purposes of illustration t e amount of the depolarizing agent used in absorbing the hydrogen varies approximately as the quantity of discharged current.

it is well known that the amount of polarization in any given primary cell dbpends upon the time and amount of current (aminipelled by explosive-engines and in which primary batteries are used for lighting as well as for ignition purposes. The current demands may thus be intermittent, fluctuating, pulsating, variable, or steady in charecter. pores) flowing and the degree of exhaustion Primary cells or batteries ere, as is well of the cell. It has also been known for some knowmlu extensive use in connection with time that a polarized primary cell might be ignition eviccs for explosive-engines, and refreshed-i. 0., depolarized--by connecting especially 1n connect ion with so-called jumpit in a direct-current circuit in such a way as spark ignition systems. Dynamos have to send current through it in a'di'rection opa sobeenextensively used in ignition systems posite to .that of the usual dlscharglng current.

'In a storage battery oi the lead sulfuric acid type-for cxample, the products of electrolysis after a peering at the electrodes during charge and ischarge are held within the cell by such chemical combination with the electrodes and electrolyte, so that the cell may be ut through the electrochemical cycles of merge and discharge with days intervening without suffering any appreciable loss of the products of electrolysis. I called "non-reversible" batteries in general, the prmlucts of electrolysis during discl'iarge escape non-reversible chemical combinations after appearing ct their respective electr0de s-as,

for explosive-engines.

it has been proposed to useboth a primary battery and dynamo in the same ignition system for an explosive-engine and to employ switch mechanism whereby the battery could be utilized in starting the engine and the dynamo-current could be utilised after the engine had acquired sufficient speed to cause the dynamo to generate a current of sulhcientpotential to produce the required spark. In such proposed arrangement, how-l ever, the actions of the'prirnary battery and of the dynamo were inddpcnd'ent-dhat.is,

there was no congoint "actiombctween the two, or, otherwise stated, thoy'were alternative devices arranged to produce the required spark at different tunes,

the counter electroinotive force set up b y the;

or reversible battery in primary batteries, often or are absorbed orotherwise enter into larization, caused-for example, in the cuse of be operated for example, the hydrogen at the cathode (car hon electrode). and the chemical depolarizing agents of a common dry cell. if, however, each small momentary discharge, each series of discharges, or a small quantity of discharge be followed by an approximately equal quantity of charging electricity, as hereinafter discussed in connection with the experiments, a large part of the-products of electrolysis of discharge are caught in a nascent state before they have time to escape or enter into non-reversible chemical combinations and are put chemical cycles, so that a primary battery under the conditions of this invention may with approximately the same elliciency as a com der the conditions hereinafterdescribed.

In case the average (chemical) current passing in and out of the battery is not made exactly zero the. same conditions will obtain in general and the life of the battery be prolonged or preserved. in case any demand is made upon the battery and the dynamos supply is intermittent, fluctuating, or variable the same general conditions of operation will also obtain.

The best results will be obtained when every momentary discharge or small quantity of discharge is followed immediately by (coulombs) an approximately equal quantity ol chargmg-current, and the smaller the higher will be the ellinecessary, however, that time of discharge the ciency. It is not the time between the discharging and charging periods should always be the mcrcst fraction of a second, as a primary battery might be used under conditions where the chargecurrent occurs at. intervals of minutes and not seconds and still give fairly good results. This, however, will depend to a large extent on thekind of primary battery used.

The above remarks apply in general to all primary batteries, although the polarizing agent is not hydrogen in all batteries.

In designing my invention l have had in mind these important lacts-to wlt, first,

that if a primary battery could be depolarized to some extent at least followingeach momentary discharge or small quantity of discharge its life would be extended very greatly and that, in any event its life would not be shortened by polarization, and, furthermore, that its maximum current producing ability would be maintained and a smaller battery could i 2 used; second, that if a dynamo or magneto of an ignition system for ex losive-engincs, for example, could be caused to constantly generate current and all or alarge part of that current could be subsequently utilized to produce 8 arks for causing the explosion of the gas cliarge in the engine at the proper times averyanuch smaller dynamo could in that through some electromon storage battery un- .s ark-producing electrical v move from the anode event be employed than under the present system, wherein the dynamo alone is used to produce the sparks.

\Yith the above important objects in mind I discovered that the above-notedresults and others could he obtained by connecting the dynamo and the primary cell or battery in multiple or parallel and with the cooperating parts so combined and arranged that the said dynamo and primary cell or battery would act together to supply the required current for the spark, and between sparks, or during the time interven ng between the discharges, the

ynamo-current would pass through the primary cell orbattery in a direction rmerse to the direction of the battery-discharge current, and thereby depolarize or refresh the said cell or battery.

Experiments which I have made in practice lead me to believe that with this arrangement the hydrogen ions (cathions) which or generating-elect rode to the cathode or conduct.ing-clectrode in the dry cell cited as an example are caught and driven back ward before/they have accuundated upon the electrode to such an extent to materially reduce the power and life of the cell or battery.

One application of the invention is illustrated iirtlic accompanying drawings, wherem Figure l is a diagrai'nmatic view showing the improved system applied to intermittently supply current to the sparking eleetrodes of a single-cylinder explosiveengine; and Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 are views showing curves taken by means-of an oscillograpli under conditions hereinafter to be noted.

ltel'crring to the diagrammatic View Fig. l, the character( indicates the cylinder of an explosive-engine which is provided with the usual sparking electrodes C and C"; The character t indicates a rotary-engine-driven circuit maker and breaker, conunonly called a timer, and which cooperates with a c011- tact The timer may be driven from .the engine in the usual or any suitable way, it being of course understood that for a tourcycle engine it would be given one rotation for each two rotations of the engine crankshaft, while for atwo-cycle engine it would be given one rotation for each rotation of the engine crank-shaft.

The character D ind i'. ates an engine-driven dynamo, whiclrmay be of the magneto or any other suitable type. The character B indicates a batterynlade up of a plurality of cells, such as so-ealled dry cells." 'lhccharacter J indicates diagrammatical jump-spark coil ofv standard type, the constructionand operation of which is well understood: The dynamo l) and battery B are connected in mulitple or parallel and to the ly a "i brating rcio senses primary of the jump-spark coil 5 by means or wires W. The termmals or thecircuit, including the wire-il extend from the enginerlriven timer 0 to the cooperating contact C, so that the primary cirduit will. be iutermit tently opened and closed under the rotation ot. the said timer The secondary of the jump-spark coil J is connected by a wire N to the sparking electrodes (1. it will be understood that the soarlring elect-rode C as well the enginet riven timer 0 are grounded tl'irough the engine and. that partot the secondary circuit is in the arrangement illustrated through the said. timer and through a portion ol the. cir chit-wire TN, this latter-noted l'eature being the customary arrangement.

The characters S and Ff indicate switches in the primary circuit fi l. When the switch 3 is opened, the sparking device is cut out oil action, andwhen the switch 8 is closed and the switch J is opened the d name only will be cut out of action.

The switch S" should be closed only when the voltage oi the dynamo is greater than that of the battery and for this reason should be preferably electrically or mechanically automatically operated.

ing system, is arrangrsl to also take current from the supply system, it may la: arranged as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, wherein the character ll indicates the translating devices, such as lamps, and l] the wires connecting the same to the The character 5" indicates a switch interposed in thecircuit L for the urpose of cutting the lamps out of circuit w ten desired.

The curves shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 were taken by means of" an oscillograph while the spark-coil (indicatedby the character J, Fig. l) was in continuous operation an d supplied conjointly dynamo l), Fig-1.

Fig. '2 shows the oscillograph-record of the instantaneous values of the current at 1, Fig. Fig. 3 shows a similar record of the voltage of the supply system at V. Fig. 4. shows the battery-current recorded by the oscillograph at I, and Fig. 5 shows the dy namo current record taken at 1. records were being taken the dynamo was so adjusted that the average value of the current, as measured by a permanent-magnet direct-currentamineter at P, Fig. 1, was zero. This is also indicated by Fig. 4, in which the shaded parts of the curve show the discharging currents from the battery and the lower parts 01" Fig. 4*, the reverse c. rrent passing into the battery from the dynamo. The average dynamo-current, as indicated by Fig. 5 equals the average current taken .by the coil and indicated by Fig. 2.

it is to be noted that the curves shown in Jigs. 2, 3', i, and 5 were taken while the w l here a second demand, such as a light battery-wires \V/ by the battery B and While the spark-coil was in continuous operation, which would correspond to the current demand nnule by an eight-cylimler tour-cycle engine or a four-eylimler two (str l e) cycle engine in which the timer-mnt'acts 'L and C, Fig. 1, were made during twenty-live per cent. of one enginc-re olution for each cylinder crankshaft. fill. the above curves were taken with the switch S open.

l desire to here state that l consider within the broad scope of my invention and claim all systems of electrical distribution in which provision is madel'or intermittently sending a reverse electric current through a primary cell or battery for the purpose of intermittently depolarizing or refreshing the same;

From this statement it will of course he understood that the electrical current for (le polarizing the primary battery may be attorded by any suitable source of electrici y. For inst once, a thcrmopil'e might be used in place ot' a dynamo or dynamo-electric generator.

What l claim is-- l. The combination with a primary cell or battery, of means l'or intern'iittently sending a reverse current through said primary cell or battery, immediately following each battery" discharge or series of battery discharges, to thereby depolarize the same.

2. The combination with a primary cell or battery, of means for intermittent} y sending a reverse current through said primary cell or battery. immediately following each battery discharge or series of battery discharges, to thereby refresh the same.

battery and a dynamoof relatively high potential, connected in parallel and arranged to coact to atl'ord an intern'rittent or'lluctuating current-supply, and means for intermittently opening and closing a demand-circuit of said apparatus, whereby, at times'inten yelling current discharges, said dynamo will send reverse current through said primary battery and thereby intermittently depolarize fir refresh the same.

e. T he combination with an internal-coinbustion engine, of an ignition system therefor comprising a primary cell or battery, and enginenctuated, source of electrical energy of relatively high potential, connected in part allel with said primary cell or battery, and means for intermittently opening and closing a demand-circuit of said ignition system, whereby reverse current'will be sent through said battery, and said battery will be intermittently depolarized e f-refreshed, at times intervening discharges from said battery.

, 5. In an apparatus for atiiording a continuous and an mterrmttent current-supply, de

vices receiving intermittent supplies, devices receiving continuous supplies, and a primary cell or battery and a relatively high potential l source of electrical energy connected in par- 3. 'l he combination with a primary cell or allel and arranged to enact to prmiuee the saidintermiitent and (mntirnens currentsupplies, electrical energv send reverse current through said primary cell or battery, at times intervening the intermittent current discharges.

and which i1igi1-pntential smlrce 01' operates to intermittently FRANK W. SPRINGER.

Witnesses: Me lin; IIOEL,

F. D. Mnncrmx'r. 

